Breakfast and lunch are served
over several hours, and you can choose to eat buffet style or have your
meal served in the dining room by the wait staff.

Dinner isn't as flexible,
not if you intend to eat in the main dining room. Evening meals
are always the most elaborate, requiring smooth
coordination and prompt service so that your
the dining experience is all it should be.

Dinner seatings
are divided into early and late, or first and
second seatings. The early seating is between can be as early as 5:15. Late seating may start or 7 or 8 p.m. depending on the size of the ship.

The hours that your
ship will be docked in port should determine the seating you
choose. Go over the itinerary carefully before making
this decision.

For instance, if your ship
stays in several ports until 6 or 7 p.m.,
you don't want the early seating. If the ship always
departs by 5 p.m., then it really depends on how you
want to spend your evenings.

What time is the evening show? Is it presenrted once or twice?

If you have children,
they will probably influence your seating time,
and it's likely to be the earlier one.

However, depending on your
ship, you can forget this kind of scheduling
and eat in the buffet dining room every evening at the hour
that's most convenient to you. This also is a way to avoid the
formal dress nights, should you choose to opt out.

Buffets often contain some
items from the main dining room menus. Some cruise
lines do a much better job in stocking their buffets.

Of course, there is always
room service. Check the posted dinner menu
outside the main dining room to select what you want, then call
it in at the very start of the first or second
seating for the most prompt service.